There was an outpouring of grief and anger on social media after the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Amid the posts supporting the families and attacking the Indonesian Government was an occasional post saying the pair knew the risk and deserved the outcome.

The amount of posts carrying #Bali9 increased markedly as the time of the executions drew near.

Steve Ciobo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Minister, was the first politician to react, criticising the use of the death penalty.

the Australian Government will have no choice but to respond with some force.

The Government has repeatedly said it is focused on saving the two men rather than recriminations, but there is a growing sense that Indonesia has behaved appallingly in its treatment of both the men and its relationship with Australia.

One longtime foreign hand told the ABC the Widodo government had been "crass, crude and objectionable", and that this now demanded a stern response.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has already signalled such a response.

"If these executions go ahead, and I hope they don't, we will certainly be finding ways to make our displeasure felt," Mr Abbott said in February.

So how might it react in the immediate aftermath?

The first, vital thing will be to secure the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra and its consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.

While attacks on foreign embassies in Australia are uncommon, they are not without precedent.

On June 17, 1995 the French consulate in Perth was fire-bombed as tensions ran high over France's decision to resume nuclear testing on Moruroa Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1992, a group of dissidents attacked the Iranian Embassy and in 2012 a similar attack saw Syria's embassy trashed.

Then the Government will turn its thoughts to a list of options.That list is likely to include:

* Withdrawing the ambassador (something Australia has never done in response to an execution);

* Cutting the $600 million in aid Australia will give Indonesia this year;

* Pulling out of the annual leaders' meeting;

* Pulling out of the regular two-plus-two gatherings of defence and foreign ministers;

There was an outpouring of grief and anger on social media after the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Amid
the posts supporting the families and attacking the Indonesian
Government was an occasional post saying the pair knew the risk and
deserved the outcome.

The amount of posts carrying #Bali9 increased markedly as the time of the executions drew near.

Steve
Ciobo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Minister, was the first
politician to react, criticising the use of the death penalty.

the Australian Government will have no choice but to respond with some force.

The
Government has repeatedly said it is focused on saving the two men
rather than recriminations, but there is a growing sense that Indonesia
has behaved appallingly in its treatment of both the men and its
relationship with Australia.

One longtime foreign hand told the
ABC the Widodo government had been "crass, crude and objectionable", and
that this now demanded a stern response.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has already signalled such a response.

"If
these executions go ahead, and I hope they don't, we will certainly be
finding ways to make our displeasure felt," Mr Abbott said in February.

So how might it react in the immediate aftermath?

The
first, vital thing will be to secure the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra
and its consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.

While attacks on foreign embassies in Australia are uncommon, they are not without precedent.

On
June 17, 1995 the French consulate in Perth was fire-bombed as tensions
ran high over France's decision to resume nuclear testing on Moruroa
Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1992, a group of dissidents attacked the Iranian Embassy and in 2012 a similar attack saw Syria's embassy trashed.

Then the Government will turn its thoughts to a list of options.That list is likely to include:

* Withdrawing the ambassador (something Australia has never done in response to an execution);

* Cutting the $600 million in aid Australia will give Indonesia this year;

* Pulling out of the annual leaders' meeting;

* Pulling out of the regular two-plus-two gatherings of defence and foreign ministers;